Today my brother Brian is celebrating his 19th birthday in the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT. He entered the MTC last Wednesday to begin his service as a two year missionary in Cancun, Mexico. This hardworking, dedicated brother of mine is going to be a fantastic missionary. I’m proud of him and humbled by…
Family
Cooking in the Kitchen
Fall is upon us, and with it my desire to bake has sky rocketed. Pretty much anything with cinnamon and nutmeg is high on my list to consume and therefore, make. On the first day of cold (it went from 90 degrees to 50 degrees over night with one amazing thunderstorm) we made oatmeal pumpkin muffins….
11 Months Old
Dear Emily, Eleven months has come upon us so very quickly. You are a much closer to a toddler now than baby. Your sign language repertoire has exploded in the last week. To “more” you’ve added “all-done”, “thank-you” (We have a book called “I can say thank-you” and one day you sat there for thirty…
Unpacking
I had the realization recently that in the last five years I have moved ten times. I’ve updated my official address with the U.S. Postal Service ten times with each of these “permanent” moves. I stopped unpacking our pictures three moves ago and we’ve lived without the pillows and coat that serve as padding. We…
Labor Day
Andrew and I were both really grateful to have an extra day in our weekend to get a little bit more work done and a little bit more playing squeezed in. Emily decided not to take a nap in the morning so we went to the park and put up our slackline. We haven’t pulled…
Together At Last
This summer was a lot like climbing a mountain. There were some fun parts, some really hard parts, some burned-out-and-I-just-want-it-to-end parts, but we really tried to enjoy the journey that it was. And I think we did well, thanks to plenty of miracles and tender mercies from God. We felt His involvement in our lives…
Three Wonderful Years
Sunday, August 17, 1pm. Andrew arrived at my parent’s home after a three hour drive from Des Moines. We played games with my family, cooked out for dinner, went on a walk, and put Emily to bed. Monday, August 18, 7:40am. Andrew and I went on a breakfast date. Just the two of us. Without…
We Came, We Moved, We Left
The last six days of my life have been exhaustingly full, and our little family is so grateful for all the help we’ve received. We would not have been nearly as successful without family and friends helping us physically and emotionally to accomplish all we needed to do to get ourselves from Kansas to our new…
10 Months Old
Dear Emily, Life with you is full of joy. Every day I am so grateful that you came to our family. You are as serious as ever when it comes to learning about the world. A few days ago you found a fuzz ball on the floor and spent ten minutes holding it and grabbing…
Kansas City Adventures: Money Museum
Today we went to the Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas. Emily fits right in with the statues. We learned that the Federal Reserve Bank regulates the money to help control inflation. A $1 bill only stays in circulation for 21 months before it is worn out and shredded. $40 million doesn’t…